(TibetanReview.net, Mar 16, 2009) — Ahead of the 50th anniversary Mar 10 of the Tibetan uprising the Rebkong (Chinese: Tongren) County in Qinghai Province was under massive troop deployment, with a ban imposed on sale of mobile phone SIM cards, reported the exile Tibetan government’s Tibet.net Mar 14. It cited eyewitnesses as saying the scale of the deployment was far greater than even in 1958. Troops were deployed on hills surrounding the county, the report added.

Police barred a group of foreign journalists from visiting the county where normal religious activities at the landmark Rongpo Monastery was seriously disrupted.

The imposition of such severe restrictions and control measures was reported to be strongly resented by the local Tibetans.